Friday, October 26, 2007

When first discovered in the 1880s, Secodontosaurus was a petrified enigma. The slender muzzle meant its bite would have been a quick snap – perfect for small, hard-to-get prey. But the body was huge, almost 250 pounds, and the low, massive forequarters could perform heavy work.

This new species could also easily be confused with the Dimetrodon - both have four stubby limbs and tall fins on their backs. However, it had an unusually narrow skull - hence the nickname "Fox-Faced Finback" - which was probably used for some kind of adapted feeding strategy, like burrowing.

(c) Robert T. Bakker

And, instead of the Dimetrodon's enlarged killing fangs, Secodontosaurus had a long row of small teeth, each sharp-edged like a little knife blade.

This species is also much more rare than Dimetrodon, fossils of which are all over the Texas Red Beds. The last fossil of Secodontosaurus found there was unearthed in 1936.

That is, until dig team member and teacher Nancy Lauletta Bowen discovered a piece of one in 2006. This is the first Secodontosaurus fossil found in 70 years, and it's the first excavated with modern, CSI methods - which means that much more diverse information has been preserved about this fossil than any other of its kind.

Lauletta Bowen and Dr. Bakker point to her Secodontosaurus find.Detailed image below.

About

If you're interested in more general science updates, please visit the Museum's new blog.
For about a year, the Museum has been sending a team of paleontologists and volunteers to Seymour, TX, a little town about 2 hours outside of the Dallas/Fort Worth area that happens to be the world's best site to find Dimetrodon - the biggest, baddest, pre-dinosaur predator.
Led by famous paleontologist Dr. Bob Bakker, the team uses a "CSI" approach - picking out every bit of fossilized evidence they can find, from teeth to tiny bone fragments - in the quest to discover exactly what creatures died here 290 million years ago - and more importantly, how they lived.
While they're in the field, you can follow their exploits here. They'll be posting daily with pictures and information about what they have found and what it all means. You can explore more about the species they are finding and the answers they are looking for at the links below.
They would love to answer your questions - so come back, and post often.

***Note

The team has now returned from Seymour, and though we will be posting relevant updates as they occur, daily discoveries are on hold until they return to the field. Please feel free to explore the links below to learn all about what they've found - and leave us a question or comment to let the team know what you think.